Josiah Cup

Josiah Cup

The origins of bone china, as we know, came from the desire to imitate the porcelains of the east. What young Wedgwood and the makers at Spode did not foresee was the creation of a material that would surpass porcelain in its whiteness and translucency and would be in high demand by England’s most fashionable Georgian society.

I have investigated the trend for elaborate ornamentation at that time. I have studied the many designs for cups, handles, jugs and spouts, and discovered how the evolving fashions of tea drinking kept the makers busy redesigning the paraphernalia to keep up with social protocol.

Parallel to this I have considered how the consumption of tea has become more relaxed. There is still ceremony surrounding a cup of tea and sympathy, but this could as easily take place in the kitchen as in the lounge. Our habits are more casual and I chose to design a tea set that would reflect this. A set that could accommodate the many types of tea we favour, or indeed a pot of coffee.